Fibrous material and method of making same



1929- H. F. WEISS 1,737,232

FIBROUS MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Oct. 4. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 2' /6 A! Fj- INVENTOR 4 WW WWJMA ATTORNEYS Nov. 26, 1929. H. F. WEISS 1,737,282

FIBROUS MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Oct. 4. 1926 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR W ,0

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD F. WEISS, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO C, F. BURGESS LABORA- TORIES, INQ, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FIBROUS MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Application filed October 4, 1926. Serial No. 139,476.

My invention relatesto a fibrous material in the form of sheets such as pulp laps or paper and to a method of making such fibrous to the large quantities of such material now lost in the so-called white water; to make a very heavy sheet or board with considerable elasticity or stretch; to make a smooth, uniform, thick fibrous sheet less wild than a thick sheet formed on a cylinder machine; to produce a tapered fibrous sheet which may I be used for the production of tapered shingles; to produce a ,fibrous sheet which has equal strength or shrinkage in both directions; and to produce a fibrous sheet which has greater strength at right angles to the I machine direction of the sheet than sheets made by present methods.

Other objects and advantages will become clear from the following description of my new product and process and from the accompanving drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of the apparatus which is used to make one form of my improved fibrous sheet;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a portion of a sheet produced by the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of another machine used to make another form of fibrous sheet;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a sheet laid down in accordance with the modification shown in Fig.4;

. Fig. 6 is an exaggerated longitudinal section through a fibrous sheet before pressing and as laid down in accordance with the modification of my improved method shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an exaggerated longitudinal section through my improved fibrous sheet in'the form of paper after pressing;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of apparatus somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by means of which the fibrous sheet is provided with a facing; v

Fig. 9is an exaggerated section of a fibrous sheet laid down by the apparatus shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a similar view of a fibrous sheet provided with facings on its upper and lower surfaces;

Fig. -11 is a detail view of a guide member;

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view illustrating another modification of the invention;

Fig. 13 is an exaggerated sectional'view of the sheet laid down in accordance with the modification shown in Fig. 12; I

Fig. 14 is a plan view of a tapered sheet suitable for use in roofing, and

Fig. 15 is a transverse sectional view of the sheet shown in Fig. 14.

Fibrous sheets of wood pulp or other pulp suitable for the manufacture of paper are made at the present time by laying down thin Webs of the moist pulp in various ways as on a Fourdrinier ora cylinder machine. If it is necessary to form a fibrous sheet thicker than ordinary paper, it is the usual practice to superpose two or more of these thin pulp webs so as to produce a continuous sheet of the desired thickness. It has been found impractical to produce thick sheets by forming a single thick web in the same way as the thin webs are formed. In the manufacture of thick fibrous sheets a multiple cylinder machine is generally used, the wet end of which is shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings which will be explained hereinafter. In a multiple cylinder machine two or more cylinders are used in tandem and the resulting pulp webs superimposed upon each other on the felt before being pressed and dried. It is not necessary to use a binder betWeen the constituent layers if the webs are pressed together while still moist. Even in the manufacture of pulp laps the thick fibrous sheets are built up in a somewhat similar manner, the thin pul web accumulating upon a single roll until the de- 40 making my improved product can best be sired thickness is obtained. The thick pulp sheet is then stripped from the roll by a doctor to form a rectangular fibrous sheet with dimensions approximately equal to the width and circumference of the roll.

If fillers, chemicals, or other foreign materials are to be incorporated into the fibrous sheet-, they are mixed with the pulp slurry before the pulp is picked up on the perforate cylinder mould. The cylinder mould then picks up both the pulp and foreign materials from the slurry. The white water which is separated from the pulp contained in the slurry carries a considerable amount of these foreign materials which are lost since the white water runs to waste.

The fibrous sheet or paper made ona single or multiple. cylinder machine has the fibers laid down in the general'direction of the movement of the sheet or the machine direction. As a result, the sheet has a greater strength in the machine direction than across the sheet.

A paper machine designed to make a continuous thick fibrous sheet requires several cylinder moulds. Such a machine represents a considerable capital investment and has the disadvantage that its tonnage 'capacity is large and it cannot be a profitable investment unless a considerable market is available to absorb a large tonnage of thick fibrous sheets. Furthermore, it is impractical to build up boards of one-fourth inch or more in thickness on ordinary cylinder machines, because the laminated pulp web will not adhere sulficiently to the supporting felts. On the other hand, I have successfully produced sheets one inch thick with a one cylinder wet machine by my novel process.

The composition of and the method of understood by referring tothe accompanying drawing Like numerals indicate like parts in the several figures. The vat 1 of a wet machine contains the slurry of water and pulp, the usual perforate cylinder mould 2 picks u a web of pulp which is then carried to coucii roll 3, around which felt 4 travels in the indicated direction. The 'wet pulp web is picked up and carried along on felt 4 from the perforate cylinder mould 2 and is then pressed by press roll 5. The moist pulp web is picked up b press roll 5 and is removed therefrom by octor 6. This ulp web may be creped by the doctor or may kept smooth as desired. The pulp web 8 is then carried forward by a conveyor belt 7 which is part of a hinged reciprocating looping device which is shown in another position by the dotted lines in Fig.v 2. The ofi-take roll 9 of this hinged' looping device works along a guide 10 and'distributes the pulp web 8 across the conveyor 11 as shown. 12 is a tightener roll to keep conveyor-belt 7 taut. In Figs. 1 and 2 the pulp'web is distributed transversely "direction of the on the conveyor 11 which is moving in the direct-ion of the arrow of Fig. 1. In Fig. 4 the conveyor-belt is moving parallel to the pulp web 8. The pulp web, when laid down transversely to the conveyor 11 of Figs. 1 and-2, forms a series of overlapping folds of pulp illustrated in F i 3. These folds may be cut atthe folded edges, or may be used in. the form shown. The folded edges come at the edge of the fibrous sheet but are not parallel to it and must be trimmed. The fibers when laid down transversely are at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction of the conveyor 11, and are substantially at right angles to it. A fibrous sheet made in this manner has a strength greater across the sheet than with the machine direction. If the folds of pulp web are laid down parallel to the machine direction by the machine of Fig. 4, the folded edges are across the sheet as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The cross sectional appearance of a sheet of this type is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 and at 17 of Fig. 4. The folds of pulp web made by this method extend from one surface of the fibrous sheet diagonally through to the other surface.

The fibrous sheet, formed by laying down the folds of pulp web either parallel or transversely to the direction. of the conveyor 11, or in any other predetermined manner as may seem desirable, usually passes through a continuous press 13, which may be in the form of press-rolls. This operation compresses the loosely piled overlapping folds of pulp web into a homogeneous and coherent moist fibrous sheet. If the paper has been creped by.doctor 6, the pressure of rolls or other press 13 interlocks the creped paper surfaces to form a fibrous sheet in which the overlapping folds adhere at their surfaces with greater tenacity than when the moist webs are not creped. For some purposes as for absorbent pads, the overlapping folds of pulp web need not be pressed together, but may retain the appearance of Fig. 6. The moist fibrous sheet may either be dried or be used as a moist pulp product without drying after leaving the continuous press 13. If it is desirable to dry the fibrous sheet after leaving the continuous press 13, the sheet then passes through drier 14, after which it may pass through trimmer 15 and cutter 16. Paper made in this manner has all of the desirable properties of paper made in the ordinary manner by a multiple cylinder machine and if the constituent webs have been creped it has in addition some of the elasticity of 'the constituent creped webs; My invention relates particularly to the method of making a coherent fibrous sheet by building up a series of moist overlapping folds of pulp web and then pressing them into a homogeneous sheet. I believe that the product formed in this man ner is entirely new to the art. Creping the pulp webs adds another novel feature.

The conveyor 11 may receive overlapping folded pulp Webs from more than one machine and thereby build up the same thickness of fibrous sheet in a shorter time. This method may be used to make pulp laps, thereby eliminating roll skinners and a portion of the labor necessary to take off and fold the finished laps. The second series of overlapping folds of pulp web may be laid at right angles to the first series, thereby making a fibrous sheet which has approximately equal strength in both directions. The two or more constituent pulp webs may also be of different types of fibers, thereby making a composite paper.

An apparatus for laying down two series of overlapping folds of pulp web is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 12 of the drawings. In this construction the conveyor 7 of the looping device is arranged transversely of the conveyor 11 as in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and a similar conveyor 18 is arranged to lay down a folded web parallel to the direction of travel of conveyor 11. In this form of the invention the guides 10 are not employed as they would interfere with the operation of the looping devices. I accordingly support the moving end of the looping conveyor on an arm 19 which is actuated by suitable means (not shown) to intermittently swing through the are indicated by the dotted lines. The sheet formed is shown in Fig. 13 in which the folds formed by the looping device 7 are shown at 20 arranged within the folds21 formed by the longitudinally extending looping device 18.

It is also possible to face the fibrous sheet with a similar or different type of pulp web. The fibrous sheet may be faced by laying a moist pulp web of the desired surfacing material on conveyor 11 of Fig. 8, then supporting the overlapping folded pulp web 8 on it. The moist pulp web is laid on conveyor 7 11 preferably by means of a surfacing mould vat 22 and couch roll 23. The couch roll 23 delivers the web to a belt 24, which is provided with a press roll 25 and doctor 26. The product is shown in Fig. 9 having a facing 27. A similar facing 28 may be secured to the other surface of the sheet as shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings. The surfacing material may be of different stock thanthe folded webs.

Ifdesired the fibrous sheet may be built up so that the sheet is tapered in cross section at right angles to the machine direction, thereby making it useful in the manufacture of tapered shingles. This may be accomplished by several methods, one of which is to provide a slower travel of the looping conveyor on one side of the conveyor belt 11, thereby allowing more folds of pulp web to pile up at this point; another is to have additional folds of pul web distributed at one side of the conveyor elt 11 and thereby building up thicker sections at this oint. A sheet of this character is shown in igs. 14 and 15 of the drawings. The additional folds 29 and 30 ma be laid between the folds formin the main body of the sheet by apparatus 0 the type shown i'n-Figs. 11 and 12, and if desired, the stroke of the auxiliary looping devices may be varied to provide additional loops varying in size. Other methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The width of the fibrous sheet may be changed easily by varying the travel of the reciprocating looper on the guide 10. This may be-done without any charge in the capacity of thejwet end of the machine. The advantages of this feature will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Chemicals, fillers or other foreign substances may be incorporated in the fibrous sheet without introducing these materials into the pulp slurry in vat 1. These chemicals may be incorporated by sprinkling or spraying the desired material in finely divided form or in solution on the pulp web 8 after leaving either the couch roll 3 or press roll 5. The pulp web may also pass through a solution of the desired chemicals before being laid down on conveyor 11. If the pulp web is creped, fillers may be incorporated to better advantage than when the pulp web remains smooth. Other methods of incorporatingchemicals or fillers in my novel fibrous sheet will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By this method none of the foreign materials are lost in the white water from cylinder mould 2. Although my improved fibrous sheet does not require any adhesive for the proper cohesion between the overlapping pulp webs it may' be desirable for certain conditions to size the sheet. The size can be incorporated on the pulp web 8 as hereinbefore described. Vater resistant compounds such as asphalt, which is used in manufacturing shingles, may be readily incorporated in In improved fibrous sheet by dusting or sprin lin these compounds preferably in finel'y divided form on the pulp web 8. The overlapping pulp webs containing the water resistant compound or asphalt are then passed through heated press rolls to dry the pulp and melt the water resistant compound or asphalt and thereby thoroughly saturate the fibrous sheet which may be of tapered cross section.

Various other changes may be made in the fibrous sheets and in the methods of fabricating these sheets without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Throughout the claims the term folds is used to define, not only the folded edge, but the entire overlapping poltions formed by each reciprocation of the looping device; and

the term edge when used in conjunction with folds is intended to mean either the folded edge or loop, or the non-folded side edge of the portion of the web forming the folds.

The apparatus herein described forms the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 318,957, filed November 12, 1928.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a succession of overlapping folds of pulp web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet.

2. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a succession of overlapping creped folds of pulp web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

3. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folds of thin paper-stock web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each olther in the machine direction of the finished s ieet.

4. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressedsheet of a succession of overlapping folds of thin creped paper-stock web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

5. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folds of thin paper-stock web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet and a facing thereon.

6. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folds of thin creped paper-stock web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet,

4 and a facing thereon.

7. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folds 0 thin paper-stock web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, and a facing thereon, said facing being of different stock than said folds.

8. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a succession of overlapping folds formed from a single pulp 'web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet.

9. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folds formed from a single web overlapping thin folds of at least two types I of paper stock having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

12. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folded loops of thin paper-stock web having their non-folded edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet.

13. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping folded loops of thin creped paper-stock web having their non-folded edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

14. As an article of manufacture, a pulp sheet comprising a succession of overlapping folds of pulp web having edges extending in spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet, the majority of whose fibers are at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction of said sheet.

16. As an article of manufacture, a paper sheet comprising a succession of overlapping folds of paper stock having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machinedirection of the finished sheet, the majority of whose fibers are substantially at right angles to the machine direction of said sheet.

17. As an articleof manufacture, a continuous paper sheet comprising a succession of overlapping folds of pulp web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges behaving a tearing strength approximately equal in a direction longitudinal of and across the machine direction of said sheet.

18. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a succession of overlapping folds of pulp web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet, the majority of Whose fibers are at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction of said sheet.

19. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping thin folds of paper stock having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet, with the majority of the fibers at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction of said paper.

20. "As an article of manufacture, a paper com rising a ressed sheet of a succession of over apping t in folds of creped paper-stock having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, with the majority of the fibers at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction of said paper.

21. As an article of manufacture, a coherent paper comprising a succession of overlapping folds of pulp web having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said edges being regularly spaced from each other in the machine direction of the finished sheet and having the constituent folds at an angle to the finished paper surfaces.

22. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a succession of overlapping, interlocked paper folds having edges extendingin transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, said folds being at an angle to the finished paper surfaces.

23. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprisingv a succession of overlapping, interlocked paper folds having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine d1- rection of the sheet, said folds being at an angle to the finished paper surfaces and with a majority of the fibers at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction of said paper.

24. An elastic paper formed from one paper web comprising a pressed. sheet of a succession. of overlapping, IIItGIlOCkIIIg, creped 'paper folds having their non-folded edges extending in transverse relation to,the machine direction of the sheet, said folds being at an angle to the finished sufaces.

25. As an article of manufacture, a paper comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping thin folds of paper stock having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet, and a facin thereon, the majority of the fibers of said folds being at an angle greater than 45 to the machine direction, and the majority of thelfibers in said facing being parallel there- Wit 1.

26. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping thin folds of fibrous stock having foreign materials incorporated between said folds, said folds having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

27. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping thin folds of fibrous stock having a finely divided Water resistant compound incorporated between said folds, said folds having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

28. As an article of manufacture, a fibrous sheet comprising a pressed sheet of a succession of overlapping thin folds of fibrous stock having finely divided asphalt incorporated between said folds, said folds having edges extending in transverse relation to the machine direction of the sheet.

29. As an article of manufacture, a water'- k resistant fibrous sheet having the constituent fibrous Webs at an angle to the finished surfaces.

30. As an article of manufacture, an asphalt-saturated fibrous sheet having the constituent fibrous webs at an angle to the finished surfaces.

31. As an article of manufacture, a coherent fibrous sheet having the constituent pulp webs at an angleto the finished surfaces of said sheet.

32. As an article of manufacture, a coherent paper having the constituent paper webs at an angle to the finished paper surfaces.

33. As an article of manufacture, a tapered water resistant fibrous sheet having the constituent fibrous webs at an angle to the finished surfaces.

34. As an article of manufacture, a tapered asphalt saturated fibrous sheet having the constituent fibrous webs at an angle to the finished surfaces.

35. A water resistant fibrous tapered shingle having the constituent fibrous webs at an angle to the finished surfaces.

36. An asphalt saturated fibrous. tapered shingle having the constituent fibrous ivebs at an angle to the finished surfaces.

37. The method of making a fibrous sheet which comprises laying down a continuous series of overlapping folds of moist pulp webs, and then pressing said moist pulp webs into a coherent sheet.

38. The step in the method of making a fibrous sheet which comprises laying down a continuous series of overlapping folds of moist pulp webs.

' pulp folds, and then pressing said pulp folds into a coherent sheet.

41. The method of making a fibrous sheet which comprises laying down a moist pulp web transversely on a moving conveyor to form overlapping folds, and then pressing said pulp webs into a coherent sheet.

42. The steps in the method of making a continuous paper sheet which comprise creping a moist pulp web and then laying down said moist creped pulp web transversely on a suitable moving conveyor to form overlapping folds, and then pressing said pulp web into a coherent sheet.

43. The method of making a continuous paper sheet which comprises laying down a continuous series of overlapping folds of moist pulp webs, pressing said moist pulp webs into a coherent sheet and then drying said sheet.

44. The method of making an elastic continuous paper sheet which comprises creping a moist pulp web, laying down said creped web in a series of overlapping folds, pressing said folds into a coherent sheet and then drying said sheet.

45. The method of making a continuous fibrous sheet which comprises laying down 7 a series of overlapping folds of two or more inoist pulp webs, and then pressing said moist pulp webs into a coherent sheet.

46. The method of making a continuous faced fibrous sheet which comprises laying down a series of overlapping folds of moist pulp webs, facing said webs with a continuous moist pulp web, and pressing said faced webs into a coherent sheet. v

47. The step in making a continuous paper sheet having a tearing strength approximately equal in both directions, whlch comprises laying down a series of overlapping folds of moist pulp webs both parallel and transversely to the travel of the sheet.

48. The method of making a fibroussheet containing a foreign substance which comprises treating moist pulp webs with the desired foreign substance, laymg down said treated webs'into a series of overlapping folds, and pressing said overlapping folds and foreign substance into a coherent sheet.

49. The method of making a fibrous sheet containing a foreign substance which comprises creping a moist pulp web, treating said moist creped web with the desired foreign substance, laying down said treated webs into a series of overlapping folds, and pressing webs, pressing and heating said overlapping webs to dry, bind, and saturate said webs with said water resistant material.

52. The method of making a water resistant fibrous sheet which comprises incorporating finely divided asphalt between moist pulp webs laid down in a series of 'overlapping folds of moist pulp webs, pressin and heating said overlapping webs to dry, ind, and saturate said webs with said asphalt. I

53. The method of making a continuous tapered fibrous sheet which comprises laying down a series of overlapping folds of moist pulp web, the number of said folds varying with the thickness of said sheet, and pressing said overlapping moist folds into a coherent tapered sheet.

54. That improvement in the continuous process of making a laminated strip from semi-fluid pulp, while the pulp is wet, which consists in continuously formin a single elon ated web in which the gram extends longltudinally, continuously supporting and feeding a portion of the web from the point of its beginning to a delivering point, allowing an unsupported portion 'of the web .to drop from the delivering point, progressively moving a support under the dropping portion, and laterally reciprocating the dropping portion crosswise of the path of the support, while the pulp is wet, to form a strip composed of upper and lower zigzag stretches caused by the wetness of the pulp to adhere to each other, and drying the strlp to stiffen it and increase the adhesion of the stretches to each other, the grain of the outer stretches covering that of the inner stretches, so that the dried strip has no unidirectional grain and presents equal resistance to lengthwise and crosswise bending strains. 7

55. A laminated strip composed of an elongated web, formed from wet pulp, the grain of which extends longitudinally, the web being disposed in zigzag outer and inner stretches, crossing and adhering to each other, and stifl'ened by drying, the grain of the outer stretches crossing that of the inner stretches, so that the strip has no unidirectional grain and presents uniform resistance to both lengthwise and crosswise bending main.

56. The improvement specified by claim 54 consisting also in locating the delivering point in such proximity to the support that the dropping portion is not rupturable by its own weight.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HOWARD F. WEISS. 

